“We’re obviously real confident” - UConn HC Dan Hurley drops assertive statement ahead of national championship game vs. Purdue
With less than an hour to go for the national championship game between the UConn Huskies and the Purdue Boilermakers, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley is raring to go. The Big East head coach spoke with CBS Sports during the pre-game procedure and expressed total confidence in his team's ability to get the job done. Here's what Hurley said to Tracy Wolfson:
"We're obviously real confident, we just really know who we are. We know our identity.
"This of the year you probably feel a little bit less pressure because everything is so automatic, you know how you are going to call the game, you know the sets you like to run, and you understand what you are trying to do defensively so now is just go out and perform at our best"
The Huskies are looking to win back-to-back championships after beating San Diego State last year. This time, they clash with Zach Edey's Purdue Boilermakers at 9:20 p.m. Eastern Time at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.
Purdue's Matt Painter on showing weakness to Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies
Purdue head coach Matt Painter knows his team mustn't show any weakness on Monday, or they are doomed to fail. He admitted as much during a press conference on Saturday where he told the media:
"What they do a great job of is when blood is in the water, when you show weakness or you turn your back on pressure, you dribble in place, you leave your feet, you don't play on two feet, those guys are the best in the business.
"They will make you pay. ... That's our challenge, is [to] handle pressure, take care of the basketball, make good decisions. They'll get into you. They're solid. But they're just waiting for you to do something stupid. Don't do something stupid."
According to the head coach, the secret to beating Dan Hurley's UConn is sticking to the script, delivering on the fundamentals, and playing sound basketball all-around. Of course, that is much easier said than done.
Who do you think will win the national championship game this season? Can Uconn go back-to-back or will Zach Edey and Purdue win their maiden NCAA title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.